The workplace is a much different place today than it used to be. One area where it has changed a lot is employee training. In times past companies were willing to hire unskilled workers and invest the time and money to train them them until they became skilled. That is definitely not the case today.

A recent Gallup survey stated that 33% of CEOs don't believe college graduates have the necessary skills and competencies their business needs. Another poll by CareerBuilder.com ​found that nearly 80% of managers are at least somewhat concerned about current and potential employees lacking required skills, but just about 40% are doing anything to alleviate it

What I infer from putting these studies together is that although companies recognize the lack of certain skills in the marketplace, they are often unwilling to invest the time and money to help people get up to speed. They see it as your problem to fix, not theirs.

So what does that mean for you? Right or wrong, this is the new reality of the American worker. It means you are going to have to invest in your own development in order to move your career forward. You will have to take personal responsibility for developing the necessary skills to stay in demand and ahead of your competition.

Now some people might look at this and say they need to go get more formal education. And while this may be a good option for some, for many others it isn't based on money, lifestyle, lack of time, etc. For these people, which might include you, another option is more suitable: short, inexpensive, on-demand, online training courses where you can learn specific skills directly related to your job or business.

One benefit of this second pathway is that it eliminates all of the unrelated courses you have take in traditional educational programs while pursuing the exact skills you need to acquire. So the focus is on learning, not just doing work to get a grade.

Another benefit is that it's easier to pay for one specific course at a time versus having to spend a lot of money or take out student loans, which leads to a whole host of other issues down the line.

​A third benefit of online training courses is that you can start many of these courses on-demand at your convenience and work around your busy schedule.

This is why I'm excited about the relaunch of my online business school. A few of the benefits of my courses include:

1. Gain skills and knowledge from the latest business best practices.
2. Only the specific information you need without the fluff.
3. Short courses that are only 6 to 8 units so you have a definitive beginning and ending. 
4. Instant access to a private online portal for all of your courses.
5. Multi-media content for different learning styles.
6. Accessible through my mobile app (coming soon!) so you can learn on the go at your convenience.
7. So much more!!!

When we assess a community's struggle with generational poverty, we must not overlook the role played by young people in help break destructive cycles and create positive ones. Some key ares we need to focus on to equip at-risk youth to make significant economic progress include financial literacy, youth employment, and youth entrepreneurship. That's why I was so excited when I read about Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina, which opened a bank run by its students. According to WUNC North Carolina Public Radio:

This is an incredibly innovative move by Hillside H.S. and Woodforest Bank to bring economic solutions to a community that needs more access to economic resources and tools to empower itself. Hopefully more banks and schools across the country will follow their lead to help challenged communities creates cycles of prosperity.

Read the entire article here: http://wunc.org/post/durham-ncs-hillside-high-school-first-open-bank

A common theme throughout the Bible is that God often used young people to accomplish extraordinary things. A few examples include David, Samuel, Joseph, Solomon, and Esther. If God could use them as He did, why should we look at their potential any differently?

We need to stop looking at young people as problems in our communities and start looking at them as solutions. Teaching them about business and social enterprise is an excellent way to engage their minds, leverage their talents, and utilize their creativity to change their own communities.

Inc. My Dream Young Boss Camp for middle and high school students is happening July 13-24 in Atlanta, GA.

For more information and sponsorship opportunities please visit www.mykinsman.org/youth

Your health is your greatest wealth! Watch the video below to learn more about his exciting event taking place Saturday, September 7th that will focus on helping you improve the health of your mind body and spirit.

I'm very excited to be one of the moderators. Register today at www.mywellnessbydesign.com

In recent years there has been a shift in the conversation of how we can more effectively eliminate poverty in third world countries. And most of the discussion centers around increasing enterprise and entrepreneurship among the poor vs. increasing aid given to them. One of the leading voices in this change of thought is Michael Matheson Miller,  a Research Fellow at the Acton Institute and the Director of Poverty Cure. He wrote this in a recent article:

God desires that all of His children would prosper, so the conversation around this shift to creating prosperity shouldn't just be for third world countries. I believe these is a very timely and relevant discussion even for Christians in America. We need to more deeply consider how we are strategically attacking the issues of poverty in our own national backyard, especially as it relates to utilizing enterprise and entrepreneurship to empower people to becomes agents of their own transformation.

I'm excited about this shift and I hope to part of not just the conversations but the practical application / implementation of these ideas and concepts.

Read Miller's full article posted on QIdeas: http://www.qideas.org/blog/the-shift-from-alleviating-poverty-to-creating-prosperity.aspx

In 2004 God called Bishop Kenneth Obi to return from the United States to his home country of Nigeria to start Mission Africa Project in Ido State. Through his leadership and hard work this organization started a school, orphanage, HIV/AIDS clinic, and job skills training center for youth and young adults. In May 2004 his church and MAP's offices were demolished by the local government based on the enforcement of eminent domain at the direction of the new governor. Nearly 8 years of work was destroyed in less than 48 hours.

"... choose for yourselves today whom you will serve." ~ Joshua 24:15

*Special Note: Watch a live stream of my Passion in Action interview with guest Pastor Matthew Brown at www.InternetFabulous.TV

As the Presidential Election of 2012 draws closer there are so many choices to make: Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney. Democrats vs Republicans. Liberals vs Conservatives. These choices aren't as easy to make as they may seem on the surface when viewed from a Kingdom perspective. 

Many Christians take sides with their favorite candidates for reasons that sometimes fall outside the bounds of how we should judge candidates based on Biblical criteria. God's agenda is often left out of the conversation by those who fight for their choice selections. And it's not as easy as looking at just one or two divisive issues, such as abortion or gay marriage. Other issues such as poverty, healthcare, justice, foreign policy, the environment, and others are those which God communicated His standards and expectations for us throughout the Bible.

A passage in Joshua 5 gives a small glimpse as to how God deals with human conflicts, such as political battles. General Joshua was preparing to lead the Hebrews into war against Jericho when an angel showed up on the scene. Joshua asked him whether he was a friend or foe. The angel's response was "Neither, but as commander of the Lord's army I have now come." He then commanded Joshua to take off his sandals, because he was standing on holy ground. Joshua quickly complied (Joshua 5:13-15).

The lessons we can learn from this account is significant, because they demonstrate to us that God's agenda always comes first. The angel wasn't there to help Joshua's plan to destroy Jericho. He came to help Joshua fulfill God's plan to get His children to their promise land, and Jericho was in the way. Joshua recognized this, and we also need to recognize the things God is trying to accomplish in the earth and who/what needs to get out of His way. 

Another political Biblical example to consider is King Saul. The people wanted a king, but God didn't want them to have a king, because He knew where that would lead. However, He allowed them their choice, but they ultimately suffered for it.

So how does this relate to our politics today? I'm glad you asked. The responsible thing to do as a Christian is to view all candidates and issues from Biblical perspective, not from the biased perspective of a party agenda or platform. Any time you assume one political party has a corner on God's agenda then you're in error. And any time you relate to a political party or racial identity more than how you  relate to being a Kingdom citizen you're headed down the wrong path. Jesus identified with his Jewish heritage, but he never let his ethnicity keep him from dealing with his own people in truth. 

God is just as concerned about aborted babies as He is about people living in poverty. He is just as concerned about healthy families built on the Biblical definition of marriage as He is about people not being stuck in oppressive cycles and systems of welfare. He expects people not to be lazy and use the gifts and talents He gave them, but He also expects us to utilize a system of justice that is moral, ethical, and fair to all people not just those with money. He is just as concerned about wars and famine as He is with people getting equal access to the healthcare resources they need to live high-quality lives. 

God is not a conservative. God is not a liberal (other than how He loves). God is not a capitalist. God is not a socialist. God is not a communist. God is God and no man-made political party or economic system can define Him.

The common denominator in all this is that God is passionate about all people and their well-being. And He's against anyone or any thing that hurts, oppresses, manipulates, or marginalizes any of those He created.

I'm not writing to tell you who to vote for. I'm writing to encourage you how to vote. Christians should vote with a Kingdom-consciousness. With the Holy Spirit's leading, choose the candidates who most closely align with God's overall plan for this planet. So when election day comes, just make sure you're voting for God.

What are you thoughts about how Christian should engage politics?

I have believed for a long time that entrepreneurship education could be used as a strategic empowerment tool to lift up those in poverty-stricken communities. I'm very excited to see social entrepreneurship strategies being used all over the world to elevate people and communities out of their financial and social distress. Unfortunately, I don't often see the same entrepreneurial energy and intentionality utilized here in the United States to help those who are challenged with the lack of access to capital, resources, and tools that can help create new avenues of economic opportunity. 

Entrepreneurship education is just as valid a poverty-smashing solution in urban communities in the U.S. as they are in slums in India or villages in Africa. Even more, when entrepreneurship education is paired with Biblical principles, you have the makings of people who are not just skilled as businesspeople, they also develop the morals and character to operate a business that's profitable and positively impacts others.

Here are three practical ways entrepreneurship education can elevate economically-challenged communities:

1. Sense of Ownership: Embedded within an entrepreneurial mindset is a sense of ownership. Entrepreneurs who operate businesses within a community usually have a heightened desire to take accountability for what happens in that community, because they know they need that community to succeed if their business is going to be sustainable.
   
2. Sense of Purpose: Without a revelation of their purpose and significance, people cast off restraint and run wild (Proverbs 29:18 NIV). When people have no sense of purpose, they lose hope and stop caring about themselves and the people around them. Entrepreneurship education helps ignite the purpose in people to pursue something greater than what they may see around them everyday. Entrepreneurship education is an incredible platform to transport people from where they are in life to their God-ordained destiny.
   
3. Creative Energy: People in poverty-stricken areas don't lack creativity, they are just using their creative abilities far below the purpose for which God created them. Entrepreneurship empowerment can help people use their ingenuity for much more than just basic survival or even criminal pursuits. Creative energy that wasn't being used previously or being used for the wrong things are now channeled in a positive, beneficial direction for themselves and others. 
   

We're on a mission to stimulate the creation of 1 million jobs. If you want to learn more about how we're using entrepreneurship education to elevate urban and rural communities, check out The (Un)Employment Alternative. We're raising money right now to bring entrepreneurship education to Cedartown, GA so we can create jobs, restore hope, and revitalize that community. We need your help. Please partner with us today!